1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for receiving and recording information to be recorded.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of color recording apparatuses, such as color printing apparatuses, there are already proposed, in the U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 521,676; 521,675 and 521,674 of the assignee of the present application, those apparatuses having memory means known as a color table or color palette. Also U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,873 (based on Japanese Patent Application Nos. 1-225351 and 1-299057) discloses a color monitor utilizing such color table as mentioned above.
However such memory means storing information on color, called color table or color palette, is fixed and lacks expansivity, so that, in case of storing information on a larger number of colors, it is necessary to move the currently stored information to another area and to newly register the information on new colors.
Also in the conventional color recording of information such as characters or graphics by a color recording apparatus, the information to be recorded and the color to be recorded are received in the form of codes from an information source such as a host computer.
Such color recording apparatus reproduces the characters or graphics of designated color on a recording sheet, by converting said codes into corresponding patterns, also separates the designated color into primary color components (R, G, B or Y, M, C, K) and recording said patterns of different color components in superposed manner.
For separating the designated color into primary color components, such color recording apparatus utilizes a memory of table form storing output densities of different color components at each address corresponding to a color (or identification) code.
The values of such color components are transmitted in advance from the host computer, and are stored, by the central processing unit of the color recording apparatus, into said memory.
As the quantity of information that can be stored in said memory is variable, it is necessary to provide said memory with a directory table indicating the color codes stored in said memory and the storage addresses thereof.
However, in order to designate the color to be recorded in the image recording, the operator has at first to refer to a code conversion table indicating the relationship between color names and color codes, and then to enter the color code and the values of color components of the desired color into the host computer. Also in case of confirming the registered color code and the color components thereof on the display of the host computer, it has been difficult for the operator to imagine the tone of the color from the color code.
Also the conventional recording apparatus for color recording of characters or graphics based on the color information from a host apparatus does not have the function of memorizing the color information from the host apparatus and releasing a list of thus memorized color information.
For this reason, the matching between the color shown on the display of the host computer and the color reproduced by the recording apparatus cannot be easily confirmed, and this fact results in the following drawbacks.
In order to confirm whether desired colors are actually obtained, the color output data of the characters or graphics have to be reproduced on the recording apparatus. Such operation results in the waste of recording materials such as toner or ink in case of complicated color output data, and gives rise to a significant waiting time for color reproduction.
An object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks in the prior technology.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus capable of renewing or expanding the information relating to color, possessed by the color recording apparatus itself.
The foregoing objects can be attained, according to an embodiment thereof, by a recording apparatus comprising internal memory means storing color information; input means for entering color information stored in external memory means, and control means for expanding or renewing color information stored in said internal memory means based on the color information entered by said input means and controlling recording means based on thus expanded or renewed color information.
Thus, according to the present invention, the color information stored in the external memory means is entered by the input means, then the color information stored in the internal memory means is expanded or renewed by the color information thus entered by the input means, and the recording means is controlled by the control means, based on thus expanded or renewed color information.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus capable of easy registration and confirmation of the information related to recording, such as color components.
The above-mentioned object can be attained, according to an embodiment of the present invention, by a recording apparatus comprising memory means storing in advance plural record-related information and character information representing the names of said record-related information; and search means capable of receiving the name of said record-related information to be used in the recording by character information and extracting the corresponding record-related information from said memory means by keyword search based on thus received character information.
The present invention is further characterized by a fact that said record-related information is primary color components used in the color synthesis, and said name is the name the color obtained by said color synthesis.
Furthermore the present invention is characterized by a fact that said record-related information is character or graphic pattern, and said name is the name representing the form of said character or graphic pattern.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus capable of easily reproducing desired color.
The above-mentioned object can be attained, according to another embodiment of the present invention, by a recording apparatus comprising input means for entering pattern information and color information encoded into predetermined codes; and image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium based on the pattern information and the color information entered by said input means, wherein said image forming means is capable of forming the image of a sample of said encoded color information.
Furthermore, the recording apparatus of the present invention is characterized by a fact that means for developing the encoded color information into an image for the purpose of sample display is also used commonly as means for developing the encoded pattern information as an image.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus excellent in operability.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus of a simple structure.
Still other objects of the present invention will become fully apparent from the following description of embodiments and the appended claims.